Patterned fabric and process for producing same



Patented Mar. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PATTERNED FABRIC ANDPROCESS FOR PRODUCING SAME Georg Heberlein, Wattwil, Wanne, and AlbertBodmer, Wattwil, Speerweg, Switzerland, assignors to Heberlein PatentCorporation, New York, N. Y., a. corporation of New York No Drawing.Application June 10, 1937, Serial No. 147,480. I In Germany July 21,1936 3 Claims.

This invention relates to novel patterned fabrics having portionstreated to render them translucent or transparent and other portionstreated to render them opaque and to processes of producing the same.

In accordance with the invention the strands in portions of a fabric areprinted and the strands in other portions are parchmentized, that isstiffened and rendered translucent or transparent, this operation beingeffected in a manner such that the unprinted portions of the fabric andthe printed portions are stiifened to about the same extent.

Various other features, objects and characteristics of my invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description.

The invention resides in the novel fabric, processes and features of thecharacter hereinafter described and claimed. i

It is well understood in the art that cotton and artificial silk fabricsmay be prepared for commercial use by pattern printing thereon with asuitable dye dissolved in a carrier comprising a gum, the latter, duringthe printing operation, forming a coating on those fabric strands in theprinted portions. After the fabric has thus been printed, it issubjected as an entirety ,to a

parchmentizing action. Between the printed portions, the parchmentizingacid stifiens and coating, such acid does not cause any substantialparchmentizing action on the fabric strands in and throughout theprinted portions. The gum coating is subsequently washed out. Itresults, therefore, that in the printed portions, the fabric retains itsoriginal soft, flexible character and the contrast is not good. For somepurposes, this is an undesirable characteristic.

In accordance with the present invention there is produced a novelpatterned fabric comprising transparent or translucent areas and more orless opaque well contrasted areas, the fabric being of about the samestiffness throughout. In United States Patent No. 2,075,695 there isdescribed a process in which a pattern of a cellulose-containingcomposition with an acidresisting pigment. is printed on to a cotton orother cellulose-containing material and then passed through atransparentizing swelling agent, preferably sulphuric acid, under properconditions to cause transparentizing and stiffening. The compositionused for printing in that patent is readily permeable to thetransparentizing swelling agent and thereby the resulting patternedfabric is of about the same stiffness in the printed and unprintedportions since the sulphuric acid readily penetrates the pattern andstiffens the fabric beneath the pattern.

In accordance with the present invention in 5 order to form the patternwe employ prior to the transparentizing treatment a nitrogenous organichinder or plastic, such for example as protein-containing substancessuch as albumen, casein, gelatine and the like or casein, albumen, 10gelatine and the like hardened with formaldehyde, or resins such forexample as formaldehyde-urea. We find that we can obtain similar butgreatly improved results to those obtained and described in said UnitedStates Patent No. 2,075,695 by the use of such nitrogenous binders. Withthis invention it is not necessary or desirable that the printing massbe permeable to the transparentizing agent, such as sulphuric acid.These improved results are due to the 20 facts, as we have discovered,that such printing masses or substances will themselves give to theprinted portions of the fabric the desired feature of being roughly ofabout the same stiffness as the transparentized or ground portions sothat 25 the fabric will have stifiness throughout, and that theseprinting substances which were known to be either soluble in or brokendown by parchmentizing strong inorganic acids as for example, sulphuricacid which we employ, will not be substantially permeable to or attackedby such acids within the short time required to transparentize theunprinted or ground portions of the fabric, and will thus protect thefabric under the printed areas from being trans- 35 parentized and willalso protect the pigments contained in the printing substances whileeffecting a wash-proof fixation of the pigment on the fabric, therebyproducing in a washproof pigment print effect an improved contrast and40 demarcation between the transparentized ground portions and theprinted portions due to the full natural opaqueness of theuntransparentizedfabric in the printed places plus the opaqueness of thepigmented printing substances.

The printing may be applied in one or the other stages of treatment ofthe fabric. It may be put on first and transparentizing produced, r orit may be put on in intermediate stages of treatment with thetransparentizing agent.

While the printing substances herein used are substantially impermeableto the parchmentizing acid during the parchmentizing treatment and thuswill substantially protect any contained 55 pigment during the period ofthe transparentizing treatment, yet after the treatment with the acid ofparchmentizing strength and during the substantially longer periodbefore the acid is completely washed out, therewill remain a certainamount of dilute acid which by diffusion may attack the containedpigment, and therefore, it is important to use a pigment which will notdissolve to any considerable extent in the parchmentizing agent so thatthere may be obtained the desired optical contrast between thenontransparent portion and the-transparent portion of the design. v

As above pointed out, the transparentizing agent used according to ourinvention is a strong inorganic acid such as sulphuric acid.

Various pigments may be employedin carrying out the invention. Forexample we may use titanium white, barium sulphate, smalt or cobaltblue,lamp-black and the like.

The following are specific embodiments of the invention, but theseexamples are not to be considered as limitations of the invention exceptas indicated in the appended claims:

Example 1.A mercerized, bleached cotton muslin fabric is printed in apattern with a paste consisting of:

Parts by weight Gelatine 30 Water 130 Titanium white I 40 uniformstiffness throughout.

Example 2.A mercerized, bleachedv cotton muslin fabric is printed with apaste consisting of Parts by weight Kaurit solution (described below)";20 Water 5 8% starch solution 30 Mono basic ammonium phosphate 0.8Titanium white 9 After printing, the material is dried at 60-70 C. It isthen heated for about 6 minutes at approximately 145 C. to effect finalcondensationof the urea-formaldehyde. The material is then cooled and isthen treated with sulphuric acid of 54 B. at 11 C. for 8 seconds. It isthen washed out and mercerized in the usual manner with caustic sodasolution of about 30 B. under tension. 'I'here-" after it is washed out,acidified and finished. The result is similar to that of Example 1.

The Kaurit solution mentioned is prepared by dissolving 50 parts byweight of the urea-formaldehyde pre-condensate known as Kaurit (made bythe German I. G.). The 8% starch solution is prepared by mechanicalstirring and boiling of starch with water until dissolved.

The process may be employed in connection with all kinds of fabrics,weaves, and other surfaces consisting of natural or artificial cellulosealso has application to the parchmentizing of I linen, cotton andartificial silk fabrics.

.The expression in the appendedclaims said fabric, being subjected toone or more rnerceriz ing treatments at some time prior to its finalfinishing means that the mercerizing treatment' which has beenparchmentized by strong inor-.

ganic acids such as sulphuric acid. And likewise where the expressionacid parchmentizing agent is employed, it refers to strong inorganicacids such as sulphuric acid.

While the invention-has been described respect to certain particularpreferred examples which give satisfactory results, it will beunderstood by those skilled in the art after understanding theinvention, that various changes and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of theinvention'and it is intendedtherefore in the appended claims to cover all such changes andmodifications.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: V

1. Process for producing a patterned effect which comprises printing ina pattern, on a cellulose-containing fabric, an adherent compositioncontaining a nitrogenous organic binder with a pigment incorporatedtherein, said composition when dried being substantially resistant andimpermeable to an acid parchmentizing agent .for the time required bysuch agent to transparentize the cellulosic fibers in the unprintedportions of the fabric, drying said printed composition andtranspar'entizing said cellulosic fibers of the unprinted portions bypassing the printed fabric,

through an acid parchmentizing agent so that cellulosic fibers in saidunprinted portions of the fabric are transparentized while such fibersin the printed portions are unafiected by the said parchmentizing agent,thereby producing a washproof pigment print effect wherein an improvedcon-. trast and demarcation is obtained between said transparentizedportions and the non-transparentized printed portions, due to the fullnatural opaqueness of the untransparentized fabric therein plus theopaqueness of the pigmented printing composition, and the fabric is ofabout the same stiffness throughout.

2. Process for producing a patterned effect which comprises printing ina pattern, on a cellu lose-containing fabric, an adherent composition.comprising a protein-containing binder with a pigment incorporatedtherein, said composition when dried being substantially resistant andimpermeable to an acid parclnnentizing agent for the time required-bysuch agent to transparentize the cellulosic fibers in the unprintedportions of the fabric, drying said printed composition andtransparentizing said cellulosic fibers of the unprinted portions bypassing the printed fabric I through an acid parchmentizing agent, saidvby the said parchmentizing agent, thereby producing a washproof pigmentprint effect wherein an improved contrast and demarcation is obtainedbetween said transparentized portions and the non-transparentizedprinted portions, due to the full natural opaqueness of theuntransparentized fabric therein plus the opaqueness of the pigmentedprinting composition, and the fabric is of about the same stiffnessthroughout.

3. A permanent patterned cellulose-containing fabric havingacid-transparentized portions and non-transparentized printed portions,the latter having printed thereon an adherent composition containing anitrogenous organic binder with a an acid parchmentizing agent for thetime required to transparentize the unprinted portions of the cellulosicfibers of the fabric by such agent, so that the printed portions of thecellulosic fibers are unafiected by said parchmentizing agent, 50 as toprovide a washproof pigment print effect wherein an improved contrastand demarcation is obtained between said transparentized portions andthe non-transparentized printed portions due to the full naturalopaqueness of the untransparentized fabric therein plus the opaquenessof the pigmented printingcomposition; and the fabric is of about thesame stiffness throughout.

GEORG HEBERLEIN. ALBERT BODMER.

